Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2021
ReviewUnderstanding the palliative care needs and experiences of people with mesothelioma and their family carers: An integrative systematic review.
People with mesothelioma and their families have palliative care needs throughout the relatively short trajectory of their illness. ⋯ The evidence base around the palliative care needs and experiences of people with mesothelioma and their carers needs to be strengthened. The results of this review support the need to develop a greater understanding about the role non-specialist palliative care clinicians' play in providing generalist palliative care for people with mesothelioma and their carers.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2021
The importance of living well now and relationships: A qualitative study of the barriers and enablers to engaging frail elders with advance care planning.
The population of frail elders is growing, and due to their vulnerability to sudden deterioration, advance care planning is particularly important. However, advance care planning is uncommon for multiple reasons, some of which are linked to the perceptions of frail elders and their families. ⋯ Essential enablers for frail elders are understanding what advance care planning is and why it may be relevant to them. For professionals, enablers include recognising the importance of living well now and relational decision-making. To further support advance care planning, recommendations include early engagement and re-conceptualising advance care planning as an ongoing process which encompasses current and future care. Further research is needed in different cultures and care contexts.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2021
Disparities in access to palliative care facilities for patients with and without cancer: A retrospective review.
To date, little is known about the characteristics of patients who are admitted to a palliative care bed for end-of-life care. Previous data suggest that there are disparities in access to palliative care services based on age, sex, diagnosis, and socioeconomic status, but it is unclear whether these differences impact access to a palliative care bed. ⋯ Patients without cancer have reduced access to palliative care facilities at end-of-life compared to patients with cancer; at the time of their application and admission, they are "sicker" with very low performance status and poorer prognoses. Further studies investigating disease-specific clinical variables and support requirements may provide more insights into these observed disparities.